Nohokainga Pulekautaha-Lai
The images you are about to encounter are from the 28th Maori Battalion. Each image has been chosen for a specific reason, and each image has an interactive element that can help expand on the history of the image. It is important to check out the links, read the information bubble and watch the extra documentaries linked to this project. All of these sources work together to tell the Story of the 28th Maori Battalion. These images do not tell the entire story, there is no possible way to do that without spending years and time creating an expansive website. However, I hope that you discover something new when shifting through these selected stories. I hope that you leave knowing the true cost to te iwi Maori.
These images depict the 28th Maori Battalion at different stages of the involvment in World War Two. Click on the images or hover over the interactive images on each slide. Each will tell you information about either the Battalion, their involvment in the war, names of battles, or extra information that can help expand your general knowledge regarding this topic. There are extra links to click on, that will take you to verified sources that can expand on this topic. Be sure to take not of them as each were selected to weave together the story of the 28th Maori Battalion.
New Zealand declares War
When New Zealand declared War on Germany alongside the allied forces in 1939. Māori were actively encouraged by Māori politicians like Sir Apirana Ngata to volunteer. He framed their participation as ‘’the price of citizenship.’5 Ngata, like other leaders, wanted Māori to participate to gain recognition from te Ao Pakeha, like many he believed this to be the key to equal treatment from Pakeha society. Other Māori leaders such as Princess Te Puea Herangi from Waikato staunchly advocated against Māori involvement in the war. Her arguments against involvement in the war came from a place of deep pain. An identity forged in sorrow from the destruction of these conflicts. Our people are intrinsically tied to the land, and the land is tied to us. It is a source of identity. Our histories, narratives and whakatauki- proverbs come from this relationship between the whenua and us. To actively encourage Māori to participate in this conflict would have caused deep conflict for all people involved. At the same time, Māori were prepared to do whatever they could to uphold the mana of their people.
The Price of Citizenship
The price of citizenship and its genuine cost was paid by Māori, and they paid this with their lives6. They could not have known the extent of War or the impact that it would have on the rest of their existence. However, despite the opposition that existed within Māori communities, and the opposition from sectors of Pakeha society. Māori still volunteered; they did what they believed to be best for their communities. Their collective thinking and service to their people were integral reasons behind their involvement in WW11. The link between the whenua and their duty to their own people were shaped by their experiences within their communities. Cultural mythologies that framed the world they existed in. The desire for greater treatment from Pakeha society, and the pursuit of this reflects the mana of the 3,600 men who served in the 28th Māori Battalion. This also clearly illustrates that Māori were willing to pay for their citizenship.
When New Zealand declared War on Germany alongside the allied forces in 1939. Māori were actively encouraged by Māori politicians like Sir Apirana Ngata to volunteer. He framed their participation as ‘’the price of citizenship.’5 Ngata, like other leaders, wanted Māori to participate to gain recognition from te Ao Pakeha, like many he believed this to be the key to equal treatment from Pakeha society. Other Māori leaders such as Princess Te Puea Herangi from Waikato staunchly advocated against Māori involvement in the war. Her arguments against involvement in the war came from a place of deep pain. An identity forged in sorrow from the destruction of these conflicts. Our people are intrinsically tied to the land, and the land is tied to us. It is a source of identity. Our histories, narratives and whakatauki- proverbs come from this relationship between the whenua and us. To actively encourage Māori to participate in this conflict would have caused deep conflict for all people involved. At the same time, Māori were prepared to do whatever they could to uphold the mana of their people.
The Price of Citizenship
The price of citizenship and its genuine cost was paid by Māori, and they paid this with their lives6. They could not have known the extent of War or the impact that it would have on the rest of their existence. However, despite the opposition that existed within Māori communities, and the opposition from sectors of Pakeha society. Māori still volunteered; they did what they believed to be best for their communities. Their collective thinking and service to their people were integral reasons behind their involvement in WW11. The link between the whenua and their duty to their own people were shaped by their experiences within their communities. Cultural mythologies that framed the world they existed in. The desire for greater treatment from Pakeha society, and the pursuit of this reflects the mana of the 3,600 men who served in the 28th Māori Battalion. This also clearly illustrates that Māori were willing to pay for their citizenship.